Fair point and I apologise unreservedly if anything I said came across as a personal attack, it was not meant as one. I've never used the British treatment of the Irish as leverage in any argument, I just hope others do the same.
Fair point and I apologise unreservedly if anything I said came across as a personal attack, it was not meant as one. I've never used the British treatment of the Irish as leverage in any argument, I just hope others do the same.
Thanks, that's mighty decent and much appreciated
It's sad that the Second World War is now so far in the past... in another generation or so, there will be no veterans still with us. It'll become harder for the layperson to separate myth, hyperbole and historical fact. I think it's important that the wars and atrocities of recent history should not become taboo subjects, so that the memory and truth can be kept alive.
Society's more likely to remember lessons from the past if those events can be remembered with a clear head - rather than muddying the issue by turning it into a 'legend' of sorts. Already, there's a trend for protraying Hitler and his allies as some kind of utterly inhuman, truly demonic evil force, utterly devoid of humanity. A fair description, one might think, when you consider the extent of the horrors his regime committed. But the worst mistake, I believe, would be for us to start pretending that he wasn't human. If we pretend that Hitler wasn't "really" a part of our species, then we can deny the potential that our future leaders might sink to the same levels of depravity. Indeed, many have tried; some have come very close - but since Hitler is this 'taboo figure', it's almost unheard of for anybody to be compared to him. That is why history needs to stay history, rather than becoming mystified.
If this discussion was about British war-crimes in history, then I'd certainly hope you take it personally, and use your own knowledge and observation on the matter.I've never used the British treatment of the Irish as leverage in any argument, I just hope others do the same.
The SS were an elite segment of the German army, the Vermacht. They were mainly in-charge of special operartions, including the death-camps. However, that does not mean 'regular' soldiers in the German army did not help in the genocide itself. Wherever the German army marched, death followed. When they conquered a town, they killed every living soul there, especially Jews. The Vermacht were normal fighting troops... but seeing as the Holocaust was the major effort of the Axis forces, Vermacht troops were also very much guilty of genocide. Yes, many were at the front, especially later in the war, fighting against other soldiers... but numerous others helped in the extermination attempt of the Jewish people.
When fighting monsters, be wary not to become one yourself... when gazing into the abyss, bear in mind that the abyss also gazes into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche
The rightful owner of this Ciddie can kiss my arse! :P
The SS were not in the Wehrmacht. The SS were a seperate organisation attached to the Polizei & answered to SS High Command or Oberstab. The Wehrmacht were the Heeren (Army), Luftwaffe (Air Force) and Kriegsmarine (Navy).
There were two SS organisations, the Allgemeine SS, a non-military armed civil organisation which guarded camps, organised the home front and answered directly to Himmler & Hitler. The second is the feared Waffen-SS, originally SS-VT, the Armed SS. They WERE a combat organisation. When the war started they were never more than Regimental in size, growing to Divisional level, corps, then in 1944, the 6th SS Army under Sepp Dietrich, founding leader of the SS Leibstandarde Adolf Hitler (Hitler's Black Shirted personal bodyguard).
The Wehrmacht units, on the whole, didn't like the Waffen-SS. They claimed they got all the glory while the ordinary Heeren units did the donkey work. They also didn't want a non-Wehrmacht unit in their rank & file as the Waffen-SS answered to their immediate superior, this was usually a Heeren General This officer had to go throw Hitler first before giving orders to the Waffen-SS.
I realise this may be a sensitive subject, if not for you (you're too young) but MAYBE for your grandparents, but I still feel that getting facts correct is important when discussing a topic such as this. The Wehrmacht & Waffens-SS und Polizei were seperate entities.
I mentioned Britain & Ireland simply because I have, to the best of my discretion, remained objective about Britain & not let their conduct here in Ireland interfere witgh my evalution of this topic. When there was a topic about Britain's conduct in Ireland, everything I said was instantly dismissed. I wonder if the same would happen with this sensitive subject.
I feel your comment 'morally they should have all perished' was deliberately ignored by myself as I hoped it was a spare of the moment comment you didn't think through. Surely advocating the death of every German who picked up a gun between 1939-1945 is advocation of Genocide itself. There was more to that massive, destructive, complicated mess that was WWII than just Good Vs Evil, Right Vs Wrong. Living in Israel at this time should show you this. It's important, always to try to fully understand a topic before your emotions of it control your knowledge on it.
I wish you a good day.
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